Middle School

Language Arts	Mathematics	Science
Social Studies	Phys Ed	Art
Music	Technology	Spanish

The middle school program offers a traditional curriculum of academic study in English, science, mathematics, and history, supplemented with Spanish language instruction, technology, art, drama, music, and physical education. We encourage students to give their best effort and work responsibly on nightly assignments, long-term projects, and in-class discussions. The fifth grade is a transition year from lower to middle school, making the change from the more developmental philosophy to a traditional/progressive curriculum.

Language Arts
The middle school language program complements the lower school programs by motivating students to become lifelong readers, independent learners, and fluent communicators who write and speak appropriately in different contexts for a variety of reasons.

The fifth and sixth grades feature integrated humanities courses, weaving together social studies and English when possible, although each discipline meets as a separate class. Role playing, speeches, and simulations promote development of oral language ability, while written assignments in both subject areas allow students to attempt a range of forms from expository to creative.

While the fifth grade continues to devote time to a basal reader, teacher-assigned and free-choice texts are at the heart of the middle school reading program. Students are supported in selecting age- and ability-appropriate books from a variety of genres including fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. Reading in small groups, individually, or as a whole class, students respond to literature through written assignments, group discussions, oral presentations, and in reader response journals. An ongoing study of vocabulary and the elements of literature is generated from assigned reading.

Writing is taught in a workshop format. We recognize that in order to become good writers, students need to write for various purposes and audiences, as well as in different forms. Fifth and sixth grades continue to have weekly spelling and vocabulary lists, while seventh and eighth grades have weekly lessons on words from Latin roots. Mechanics, usage, grammar, and spelling are also addressed in the context. of students' own work via self-, peer, and teacher editing, and through teacher-led mini-lessons and conferences.

Social Studies
At the middle school level, we believe that through an interactive approach to the study of history, students can best gain understanding and knowledge of the past and respect for other cultures, as well as their own. Students learn to recognize philosophies, ideas, and attitudes that differ from their own, as well as those fundamental concepts that all men share. Through the study of man's past, students are encouraged to think critically, draw informed conclusions, and defend their own interpretations in written work and discussions.

Students study world cultures from the earliest civilizations in fifth grade through the rise of the six great religions of the world in sixth grade, European history from the Norman Conquest to the Age of Revolutions in seventh grade, and American history in eighth grade. Allowances for individual learning styles are possible through the use of simulations, which include the Greeks and Romans in fifth grade; Islam and Christianity after the Fall of Rome in sixth grade; Europe's Transition to the Modern World and the Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union in seventh grade; and Seneca Falls and Ellis Island in eighth grade. Simulations, mock trials, plays, primary source study, and an online student-generated stock market unit in eighth grade provide experiential learning and broaden the student's understanding through interdisciplinary studies. All middle school social studies classes meet five times a week for forty-seven minutes. The seventh and eighth graders develop critical thinking skills by addressing a pre-determined theme for their History Day projects. Students write a research paper and design and produce a play, an exhibit, or a media project that they present to their classmates and the school. The faculty chooses projects to compete in local and district competition.

Mathematics
The middle school math program continues to build on the Every Day Math spiral approach of lower school through sixth grade. Mathematical Connections: A Bridge to Algebra and Geometry is the text in seventh grade, and Algebra I: Concepts and Skills in eighth grade.

Middle school math students spend forty-seven minutes a day, five days a week in the math classroom. The sixth grade strengthens their number sense and number theory skills through the use of manipulatives and hands-on problem solving. The seventh grade develops pre-algebra concepts, rational number sense, and mathematical applications to real life. The eighth grade studies algebra, which focuses on equations, graphing, and problem solving. The middle school also offers an advanced track to help students excel in mathematics. This track flows from sixth grade where they learn pre-algebra, moving into a seventh grade algebra I class, to an eighth grade geometry course.

Our mathematics program encourages students to become independent problem solvers who can use a wide variety of strategies to make decisions. We have consistent requirements for notebooks and homework across all sections and encourage group work and cooperative learning. The program integrates manipulatives and hands-on problem solving for everyday living such as balancing bank accounts, learning about taxes, discounts, and insurance. We encourage students to apply critical thinking skills developed in math to other course work.

Science
The middle school science program is devoted to the development of scientific skills by applying textbook material to the scientific processes of investigation and experimentation. The Scott Foresman Science: Discover the Wonder textbook series is continued in sixth grade and the General Science: Voyage Of series is used in seventh and eighth grade. A balanced curriculum of life science, physical science, and earth science continues to develop a solid knowledge foundation while students reinforce scientific skills with laboratory activities. Middle school students spend forty-seven minutes each day of the week in the science lab. The science lab provides a space for students to work together in lab groups to develop fundamental skills such as using a compound microscope, balance, and dissection tools. Encouraged through experiments, dissections and explorations, students continue to develop the process skills of hypothesizing, observing, measuring, comparing, recording and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions based on observed data. Emphasis is placed on detail and accuracy. Students are taught safe lab practices during experiment and dissection preparations. Note taking skills and notebook organization are stressed from the fifth through eighth grade. The middle school curriculum also provides opportunity for students to create models, conduct research, and develop research-writing skills. Students are evaluated on many levels including tests, quizzes, lab procedures, research papers, and projects.

Art
Fifth and sixth grade goals include developing a firm understanding of how art reflects, records, and influences history. Students become aware of the artist's historical role as a recorder of events, as a messenger of a religion, and currently as a persuader of public opinion and a social statement maker. The seventh and eighth grade students are expected to create and observe art not only by personal preference but by acquired visual knowledge. Students are given the opportunity to create objects that reflect individual thought and feelings, aesthetic quality, and appropriate use of materials.

Technology
Students in the Middle School meet four days a week for forty-seven minutes for six weeks. They work on mastery of the Microsoft Office suite, video editing, and webcasting to support research and presentation for class a ssignments, Speeches and Sweets, and History Day.

Music
By sixth grade students have come to the developmental stage of higher conceptual thinking. We set the goal of discovering what music can teach about the culture of a people and seek a broader understanding of cultures different from our own. The sixth grade learns to play the handbells, enriching school assemblies and the community with their ringing. In seventh and eighth grades, students may choose guitar as a "special" in a trimester. They have the opportunity to play a wide variety of musical genres, and to extend their composing experiences. They learn the foundations of western harmony, attending class for an intensive six-week period, four days a week. Students who excel have numerous opportunities to showcase their talents in school performances as well as in community service. Middle school students take major singing roles in the school musical, produced in the spring each year. They may also join the band and perform for a variety of audiences.

Physical Education
Middle School students spend 250 minutes per week in physical education. They learn to develop defensive and offensive strategies and game plans. They also learn how to create equal and fair teams in order to run an effective tournament. Grades two through eight participate in physical fitness tests in the fall and spring. Students are encouraged to join extracurricular sports teams including soccer, basketball, cross-country, and softball.

Spanish
Students in the middle school receive forty-five minutes of Spanish instruction three days a week. Grammar that is more formal is introduced and students continue to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Seventh and eighth graders use the video-based Destinos series for instruction to approximate a Spanish I high school program. Students are expected to comprehend more-rapidly-spoken Spanish, to talk and write about themselves and on varied tropics using proper grammar and accents, and to comprehend longer reading passages using contextual clues.